Sirius
Black groaned at the torture provoked by Remus Lupin's cheery voice and
threw the nearest item he could find at him. "Get away from me, you
sadist."

Lupin let the sock fall into the potted plant at the end
of the bed and placed the tray he carried on the nightstand. Then he
threw himself onto the bed to sit down by his friend rather
enthusiastically.

Sirius' body plopped up and down as the spring
responded to the additional weight, so he lurched his head to the side
of the bed looking rather green. "Have you no mercy?"

"After your behavior last night?" Lupin considered this before bouncing the mattress again, "No."

"Enough!" Sirius sat up holding his head. "What did I do to deserve this?"

"Let me think. Could it be that you accused your cousin Tonks of being, shall we say, a heartless man-eater?"

Sirius peeked through his hands. "Damn, I thought that was a dream! Wait. I remember now."

Sirius completely removed his hands and looked at Lupin with chagrin. "No, I couldn't have."

Lupin merely kept that horribly false smile on his face and nodded the affirmative.

"Tell me that I didn't say you were, uh, celibate?" asked Sirius.

Lupin patted his shoulder and said reassuringly, "Not at all, Padfoot."

"Whew! Well, then I--"

"You used the phrase, now let me think. Ah, yes," began Lupin, "'as virginal as Artemis.'"

Sirius
groaned, but Lupin continued. "I was suddenly left with this image of
myself frolicking through the woods in a white tunic--"

"Please, spare me--"

"But
then Artemis typically has a full moon following her," added Lupin as
he tapped a finger on his chin, "so of course, the image shifted to a
werewolf wearing the white tunic." He shuddered. "Overall it was very
disturbing imagery."

"Thank you so much for sharing, Moony," said Sirius dryly.

"That's what friends are for, Padfoot."

Sirius fell back on the bed with a groan. "Why didn't you just obliterate me?"

"I thought the hangover would be more effective as a punishment," admitted Lupin.

"You're a hard, cruel man, Moony," said Sirius as he opened one eye to look at Lupin.

"Yes, that's why I brought you some toast, juice and," Lupin reached for the book under the napkin, "your book."

"My book!"

Lupin was suddenly having his face licked by a large black dog. "Ew, doggy hangover breath! Get off, Snuffles!"

Snuffles transformed back into Sirius and grabbed his head again. "Remind me never to change when I'm hung over."

"I'm going to need a cleansing spell now," said Lupin as he wiped at his chin.

"So, how did you manage to swipe my book?" Sirius was looking at Lupin as if he were a miracle worker.

"I asked Arthur for it," said Lupin. "He was quite pleased to let it go."

"You're
trying to bribe me, aren't you?" asked Sirius with suspicion as he
grabbed the book from Lupin and tapped it with his finger.

"Only
for your good behavior," responded Lupin, but now he had a sincere
smile as he looked at his friend. "Look, Tonks and I know your heart
was in the right place when you confronted us last night. Have some
faith that our hearts will be, too. We're enjoying each other's company
for now, but this relationship between us seems to keep growing."

"Aren't you scared, Moony?"

"Yes,
but this time, I'm going to find out for myself if I have the courage
to make things work." Lupin's voice held that familiar resolve. He
smiled lightly as he added, "I think Nymphadora Tonks is worth the
risk. I don't know what she could see in me though. Perhaps we'll never
be more than just friends."

"You underestimate yourself as usual,
Remus," said Sirius gently. Then he added as a warning, "But if either
one of you starts behaving stupidly, I reserve the right to transform
you into ferrets and bounce you around the room ala Moody until you
come to your senses."

Lupin suddenly burst into laughter, "Now
you really have me petrified. Do you remember when Moody did that to us
when we met him in fifth year during our OWLs? What were we arguing
about?"

Sirius had been laughing as well and had to wipe a tear
from his eye. "You know, I can't for the life of me remember. Probably
arguing over who would make the better auror."

Lupin admitted as he sobered up, "Never have cared for ferrets since then."

"Me neither," agreed Sirius. "So when are you seeing Tonks again?"

"Probably
tomorrow. We're escorting the young ones to Hogsmeade; they insist on
sending Harry some candy from Honeyduke's for his birthday. This will
be the best time to go," Lupin said.

Sirius perked up.

"Don't even think it. You had best stay here," warned Lupin as he left.

Sirius
just grunted and reached for the toast. Lupin and Tonks. He shook his
head, then he grinned. Perhaps he'd transform them into bunnies if they
hit a snag in their relationship. He laughed evilly until he started
choking on a piece of toast. He coughed, rolled his eyes heavenward and
grumbled, "Fine, I bet ferrets get friendly, too."

Sirius chomped on his toast with a clear conscience and leaned back against his headboard to finally enjoy his book.

The End

Author Notes:

I thought the story was a bit incomplete
without a morning after discussion between Remus and Sirius, so here it
is. And thanks for reviewing to let me know how the stories are working
for you. I appreciate the time you take. (Alatariel, I've found the
wolfandlady LJ and will try to participate, so thanks for the heads up!)

This
also gives me a chance to respond to some comments. This story is part
of a series that I've been posting. If you want to read the others,
just hit Queriusole and start reading the stories in the list from the
bottom. However, I'm trying to make each one a stand alone, so if you
don't want to trouble yourself, you don't have to. I'm posting stories
about every 7-10 days

I wasn't sure if my background for Tonks
and Remus would make my version of their story unpopular, but then,
when you write, you have to write to please yourself most of all. I'm
glad that you are open to this interpretation.

About Remus and
sex. JKR has painted his lycanthropy similar to a chronic illness
rather than the mythical aspect presented in movies. Chronic illnesses
involving pain, especially in juveniles, typically have a negative
impact on physiological as well as psychological features of sexuality.
Although the Marauders being animagi helped Remus during his
adolescence, it isn't until the wolfsbane potion that Remus describes
being able to curl up in his office during full moon and remain placid,
although he obviously still has his bad moons. This should decrease
self-injury, thereby decreasing pain, thereby allowing his "normal" sex
drive to begin to emerge. With the help of Tonks, of course.

Yes,
their relationship will progress, but what I'm trying to set up in the
first month or so of their acquaintance is the background for their
interactions when we first saw them together in the Advanced Guard
chapter for the Order of the Phoenix. I have plans for a full moon
adventure before they bring Harry back, but...

Next up, a visit to Hogsmeade. And the Shrieking Shack? Sure, why not. Look for it in about a week if you're still interested.

The author would like to thank you for your continued support. Your review has been posted.